Today is the day. Aeneid 2.0 officially starts here, on a Sunday’s mid morning National Express coach.
We all approximately know where I’m headed (although admittedly some more than others) but I’m sure some, as Aeneas was, are dying to know in a little bit more detail because let’s face it, prophecies are extremely vague and unhelpful. Well today’s your lucky day because unlike the gods, I am going to give the full 411, the rundown, the Very Cunning Plan of What Is To Come – I know, capitalisation and everything!
So lets start with the why, yeah I know I’ve briefly touched on this before but I’d like to go into a little bit more depth if that’s alright. I have come a little further from my first post (which was although only posted a fortnight or so ago, was first drafted was back before Christmas (I know, shocking, I was scared to make my first post, who would’ve thought?)) So back then, I was right in saying I knew I wanted to do Classics, but not much past that. Since then I’ve come a long way: I applied for university, wrote a kick-arse personal statement that got me all five offers -but only after 16 drafts and a breakdown or two- and have decided on a university (hello Glasgow!)
And although I ended up deciding not to go to the university I first visited, it got me stuck on the idea of also taking Comparative Literature. “What on Earth is that?” I hear you cry! Never fear, I had the exact same reaction when I first hear of it. Comparative Literature is the study of looking at themes, ideas and motifs across different cultures, time frames and mediums critically, comparing them and seeing how they’ve evolved. I fell in love with the subject as I did Classics because it is Classics in a different form; or at least what draws me to it. Both subjects are interdisciplinary and prove that humans, and therefore culture, aren’t produced in a vacuum. Art feeds literature, which bleeds into politics, affecting theatre which in turn impacts film. Culture is this living, breathing, ever-changing intangible beauty that can only ever be encompassed as a whole and can’t be broken up into neat little bite sized pieces to pick and choose from. It’s the reason I was struggling so hard to choose a degree in the first place; I couldn’t separate ClassCiv, drama and literature because their very nature demanded that they be looked at and studied as a single entity. You can’t just ignore the history, the science, the geography, the politics when studying the arts because art in itself is political and a product of the very climate (both physical and metaphorical) it was birthed in. Concepts transcend boarders but they mould themselves to the cultures that bore them. Or indeed, society moulds itself around it.
Classics and Comparative Literature are subjects that exist to provide the context, the whole nitty grittiness of the story rather than just a snapshot. They are slap bang in the middle of the venn diagram overlap of literature, politics, history, drama, art, architecture and a million things you probably don’t give a second thought to.
“Indie, this is all very interesting, but how on Earth is this relevant to the why of your Aeneid 2.0? And also you’re still only on the why???” Excellent point, with a (hopefully) excellent answer -or maybe that one will just suffice, unfortunately I don’t have one as to why it’s so long though, for that I just have to apologise profusely. They take the past and the present and bring them to life. And just like all those strands of culture, not only of the present but the thousands of ones that used to be, weave together to create the vibrant and rich society that thrived in classical periods of Ancient Greece, Egypt and of course Rome, so they are still weaving in today’s modern equivalents. Except, they have the added bonus of all of the old threads still being in this big arse metaphorical culture blanket (yes, it’s a thing now. Apparently. Hey if Lysistrata can do it so can I!) And that’s why I’m doing this Aeneid 2.0. Not only is the ‘Aeneid’ a perfect example of history and politics affecting literature which in turn effects the political climate, but these countries have such a rich history and it’ll be fascinating to truly see how much it bleeds into their modern lives. Is it just tourists and Classicists who care about the ancient shit? I don’t know, but it’ll be interesting af to find out.
But I guess that segues semi well into the next ‘W’: where. An easier question would probably be where not, but that extremely unhelpful and I promised I would keep the prophecy-esque-ness to a minimum. And also I know your judging me for not doing them in their assigned order but ya know what??? I’m judging me too (but at the same time this order make sense for this). Actually we can kind of do the next four all at the same time. Except I don’t want to elaborate too much on the what because SPOILERS! (I have to have some secret plot twists to keep you on your toes!) So the first where is Turkey, with my Mother Dearest, as in order to truly do Troy I’m in dire need of a car and… I can’t drive. She’s seeing it as a holiday but I’m not entirely sure how enthralling driving from Istanbul to Canekkale to do Troy, Antandros and Enez is. For your slightly nutty classics nerd, sure, and Enez is something of a Turkish holiday destination, but I can’t imagine what they’re going to think of two British women visiting midweek in what is very much shoulder season. Thankfully Mother Dearest has yet to complain about this arrangement and has only requested that we use the many hours of driving time to make sure she learns the music for her upcoming choir concert (which is fine by me!) After Enez we do get a little bit more holiday-ish though, as we return to Istanbul for two nights in order to go on a food tour and hopefully cram in a couple of Turkish Baths before we leave. For mum, it’s a chance to properly holiday, and for me it’s the last bit of luxury I’ll get for a while.
From there I fly to Mykonos and will arrive before mum even boards her plane back to London. Plans for this party island include getting off it and going to Delos (for those less familiar with its mythos, the birthplace of the immortal twin deities Apollo and Artemis). Because it’s a UNESCO Heritage Site, you can’t stay on the island overnight and can only reach it by ferry, hence using Mykonos as a jumping point. However it does hold some benefits, as I’m looking forward to visiting the Folk Museum and dip my toe (probably my little one) into the more party-esque scene in order to try it for size just so I don’t die during Freshers in September.
A ferry will take me to Heraklion where I’ll be be based during my stay in Crete. I’ve drawn a tiny rectangle on the guidebook map and unfortunately have limited my visiting to sites within that area due to a scarcity of time, with a view to return some day (hopefully soon) and fill in the blanks of the bits I missed. Nevertheless, my little nugget of Crete will of course include two Minoan Palaces -Knossos and Phaestos- and the archeological museum as well as some other bits and pieces.
Onwards I fly, this time to Zakynthos, to meet up with my sister who’s coming for “green and blue” (originally I asked her to do Carthage with me as she did both Latin and Music and had her fair share of the Carthaginian Queen. She refused under the claim it was too ‘brown’). Once again the challenge presents itself of a distinct lack of a car so nothing is concrete yet, but I do have my eye on seeing the beached shipwreck, which may be challenging due to a multitude of high cliffs and lack of international drivers license but I’m sure we’ll work something out. I’m mainly looking forward to Zakynthos in order to relax with my sister rather than rush around desperately trying to see All Of The Things on a limited budget, skill set and time frame.
Another flight takes me to Preveza in order to recreate the battle of Actium (ie me as Octavian, defeating a massive lunch that’s built up to be the amazing thing and then is slightly disappointing in how easily it is consumed.) A trip to Nikopolis is essential, then its onto Albania.
In terms of Albania things become a lot more sketchy and pencilled in again, buses are much more infrequent and timetables are either not available or not in English and sometimes both. I’ll probably end up taking the bus to Ioannina and then from there onto Gjirokaster, but it’s a little up in the air. Push comes to shove I can use Corfu as a base and take day trips to Buthrotum, Ksamil and Saranda -all very doable according to the guidebook.
A ferry from Corfu to Brindisi brings me to my first steps in Italy on this trip; Aeneas has finally touched Latin soil! Of course it’s completely the wrong place but he does this a lot and at least he’s getting somewhere. After moseying around a bit I somehow need to get my arse to Sicily, most likely by bumming it on a bus for 8+ hours. Once I’m there I’ll once again meet up with Mother Dearest who happens to have a work conference there at the same time. Hooray for not having to pay for accommodation! But boo in terms of a useful location. Regardless, I’ll somehow make my way to Syracuse at least. When mum’s conference finishes we pick up another car and drive across the length of the island in order to get to Palermo to get yet another ferry. This time to Tunis.
Yes, that’s right, its Carthage time! This time it’s my dad who I’m meeting up with. He’ll fly in to Tunis, I ferry myself across the Med, and we meet at the hotel. Carthage, naturally, is top of the list, but both the food and Colosseum are also very high up there. Naturally the last four days of Ramadan are when I happen to be there because we all know how great I am at timing, so I don’t know how open things will be. And the last guidebook was published ten years ago, so who knows how that’ll turn out? Another ferry will bring us to Salerno, where we’ll spend a night, then get on a train to Naples.
From there it’s the home straight! Dad gets on a plane back to London and my college friend Olivia, having finished her exams, comes out. A trip to Cumae will be in order, as will exploring the city, but other than that Olivia is in charge so I don’t accidentally bore her to death with Classics overload. Pizza, however, will be a must.
Last, but by no means least, Rome herself. When Olivia leaves, my mate Maddi steps in. As a fellow Classics nerd, we will exploit all of Rome’s sites and achieve the overload I was worried about in Naples. Colosseum, Forum, Palatine, Vatican, the Spanish Steps. Ancient to modern, foodie to archeological, our exploration of Rome I’m sure will be thorough. Or at least I hope it will be. That’s the plan anyway, who knows yet if it’ll be executed in quite the same manor.
“Indie!” Once a again I hear you cry, “When you said who, I didn’t expect so many people! I thought you were supposed to be doing this yourself?” Well, I am. Yes, I’ve had help. At points lots of it (shout-out to Mother Dearest). And yes, I’m meeting up with people along the way. But who’s the unifying factor in all of this? That’s right -Aeneas. I’m kidding, obviously it’s me, but I’m not wrong. Aeneas was the unifying factor in his journey, as I am mine. People came and people went, Anchises, Dido, Acestes. Likewise in the Odyssey, Odysseus receives help all along the way home, from mortals and divine alike. Their intervention does not make them lesser heroes. In today’s society, asking for, or even just accepting, help is seen as weak and undesirable; we are taught to struggle on despite the very fact we’re struggling, and don’t have to. It isn’t necessary and yet still we persist because anything less makes us less. In Homeric and Virgilian poetry, a hero is praised for getting help, as it proves he is worthy of it, and more people are rooting for him; he is heroic partly because of the help he receives. Today, it is seen as cheating, if a hero achieves their accomplishment with guidance then it is not truly theirs, because it was a shared effort, or they had external help. That, quite honestly, is bullshit in my opinion. Admitting you need help is one of the bravest things someone can do, and the fact our literary and cinematic heroes are shamed for getting it only perpetuates this toxic idea and normalises it on a societal level, till everyone is scared to ask for guidance.
Many things are problematic about the heroes of Greek and Roman mythology, but the one thing they got right is the idea that help does not make someone lesser or their accomplishments not their own. You are not weak or useless if you get assistance in what you’re struggling with.
Sorry that this is a long one, I started today on the coach from a sunny London, but only managed to post it once I reached the airport hotel in a very rainy Istanbul (not Constantinople). It feels weird to think that #aeneidtwopointoh is finally upon me (and you, by extension). It’s exciting. And terrifying. It’s exrifying.
Indie_go is flying high, quite literally!
